Doctors just out of medical school must complete a rigorous training program in hospitals and clinics, called a residency, before they can make the big bucks. Residency programs vary in length anywhere from three to seven years, depending on the specialty. Most resident doctors are typically paid a salary in the range of $40,000 to $50,000 a year, according to data from the American Medical Association.

Resident Salaries by Specialty

Salaries for residents vary slightly by specialty. Resident doctors can train in many basic specialties, ranging from internal medicine to general surgery. The internal medicine residency -- training for a general adult medicine doctor who works in a hospital -- is the largest basic medical specialty with the most resident doctors nationwide. Internal medicine resident doctors make on average $47,699 a year, according to American Medical Association statistics. Anesthesiology residents make an average $48,343 a year and dermatology residents make on average $49,142 a year. Resident doctors in a plastic surgery residency have the highest average salary of $55,151 a year, according to the American Medical Association data.

Resident Salaries by Region

How much resident doctors get paid also varies based on the location of the residency program and the area’s cost of living. For example, first-year residents at the Cedars-Sinai Hospital, located in West Hollywood, Calif., make $49,584 a year as of 2012. At the same time, first-year resident doctors at the University of Kansas in Wichita, where the cost of living is lower, make $47,560 a year.

Chief Resident Salaries

Senior residents who are chosen for leadership roles are called chief residents and are typically paid more. For example, a chief resident doctor in his fourth year at the University of California in Los Angeles makes $55,808 a year as of 2012. Compare that to the normal fourth-year resident doctor who makes $55,208 a year as of 2012. “But the small increase in the paycheck of a senior resident comes with a lot more responsibilities -- making schedules, helping out the residency program director and running a lot of the teaching sessions, among other things,” said Dr. Kirk Pak, a first-year internal medicine resident.

Supplementing a Resident's Income

Even residents in the highest-paid specialties and chief residents typically are not making more than $60,000 a year. But there are ways to bring in more income. Many senior residents pick up extra shifts at their hospitals or other healthcare facilities for extra money -- known as moonlighting. Resident doctors in the third year of residency and beyond can make around $100 an hour moonlighting. Hourly rates vary widely, depending on the hospital or clinic, Pak said. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education limits the number of hours residents can work. Resident doctors are limited to working 80 hours a week, averaged over a four-week stretch. And that includes any moonlighting, according to the council.

About the Author

Mikel Chavers has been writing and editing since 2006, specializing in health, business, government and technology topics. She got her start as a reporter at “The Business Journal” in Greensboro, N.C., and later covered state government for a national magazine. Chavers holds a Bachelor of Arts in media studies/journalism.

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